Amarya sat in the palm of my hand. I was encapsulated by its beauty. It never grew old.
And yet, to perform the simple action of sliding it on my finger seemed like such a foreign concept.
Clenching my jaw, I positioned the ring back inside my tunic. I needed a distraction.
As the mountains around us slowly passed by, Gimli and Éowyn struck up a conversation about the differences between dwarves, elves and men, which led to Gimli finding out that I did not eat meat.
Evidently, vegetarianism did not bode well with the dwarf, who turned to look at me like I was crazy.
"What? No meat?" Gimli spluttered. "Well, no wonder you elves look like a couple of reeds, ready to be blown away by a gust of wind."
I chuckled. "I'd like to see you try."
Éowyn was walking beside me while stroking Aldion's smooth ebony fur. He didn't seem to mind as he slowly padded along with all the horses.
"So what do you dwarves eat?"
Gimli chuckled, as if reminiscing about all the great feasts he had had before.
"Giant chunks of meat fresh from the bone and bread rolls from the roaring fire."
His eyebrows shot up.
"Oh, and gallons of malt beer and ale of course. You two maidens couldn't possibly stomach that."
Éowyn raised her eyebrows.
"What about the dwarf women?" She paused. "Are there even dwarf women?"
I furrowed my brows in thought. "I have never seen one if there are."
The dwarf nodded.
"It's true you don't see many dwarf women," Gimli explained, "and in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, they are often mistaken for dwarf men."
Éowyn turned back to Aragorn, who rode beside Théoden, wondering about how one could possibly fail to make such a distinction.
"It's the beards," Aragorn whispered with a smile, gesturing with his hands.
Gimli continued on, and I listened.
Nowadays, it was hard to see such low tensions when elves and dwarves were together. In fact, the days when I did not fear for my life; the days when my heart did not race at every odd noise; those days were scarce and few.
But as Aldion ambled along, the afternoon sun was soft, warm and welcome upon my skin. The clouds were as puffs of radiant joy, ready to disperse into the wind. I watched them eddy, pure reflected rays dappled and swirling with sky, until all that remained was that perfect baby-blue.
"And this in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women." Gimli enthusiastically explained, "and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground."
Éowyn broke out into a radiant laughter, her blue eyes glittering with the sparkling sunlight.
Gimli chucked alongside her. "Which, of course, is not true."
All of a sudden, Gimli's horse bolted forwards, sending the dwarf rolling off the back of the horse, tumbling to the ground.
As Éowyn's laughter rang out, I smiled for the first time that day. Even in the direst of times of turmoil and strife, warmth and light managed to penetrate through the mirk. Even Aldion's black tail was wagging exuberantly behind him. As I laughed, he turned back to look at me with bright and curious eyes, his tongue lolling from his mouth.
I reached down and playfully scratched the top of his head in response.
As Aragorn talked to Théoden and Éowyn rushed to help Gimli, I noticed Legolas, who was observing our surroundings, his eyes alert as usual. His blonde hair swayed in the light afternoon breeze, glittering gold in the afternoon sunlight as he peacefully rode amongst the people.
He seemed to stand out from the rest of the people around him, radiating nobility and grace as he sat tall, poised and elegant atop his horse. He met my gaze with a small smile, and I felt a flutter of warmth blossoming in my stomach.
I wasn't really sure why.
My mind then flashed back to what happened at Edoras with Grima, and how different he seemed at that moment. His voice had turned so hard, his eyes cold like ice. It was a side to him that I had never seen before. His cold demeanor towards the man was in such stark contrast to his usual, rather neutral personality.
I guided Aldion towards him.
"I wanted to ask something," I said as I rode beside him.
"Go ahead," the blonde elf nodded.
I exhaled, thinking of the best way to word my question.
"Back at Edoras, when Grima grabbed my hands..." I shuddered at the thought, but continued, "...why...why did you step in? I could have handled the situation perfectly, and you know that."
The blonde elf was silent for a moment, before turning to me with a small smile.
"I know. I promise, I was not doubting your capabilities. I just...I overheard what he said to you and..."
He rubbed the back of his neck, breaking eye contact and glancing down.
"...and I...felt disgusted by just how low he would stoop to gain an upper hand."
For some strange reason I could not place my finger on, I felt a twinge of disappointment at his answer. But I chose to let it go.
"So do you think he deserved to die?" I continued to ask, "Was Aragorn right to have let him go?"
Legolas thought for a moment, before glancing at me.
"I do not think I have the wisdom nor foresight to make that judgment and act upon it."
His cerulean eyes met mine. "However, if you were to kill him at that moment, I don't think that I would have stopped you."
I chuckled.
"I would not have either. He has most likely crawled back to his master, Saruman, and has probably spilled all Rohan's secrets at this point."
The blonde-haired elf nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, his story is not yet complete, and will likely play a role in how our's will end."
I nodded my head, Aldion's steady footfalls beneath me as we rode side by side.
"If I am to be honest," I let out a lengthy exhale, "I am... worried."
"I do not think there is a single person here who is not," Legolas replied as-a-matter-of-factly.
I chewed on my bottom lip.
"There's so much I have yet to see." I sighed. "I want to see the world. I want to see the seas, the hidden kingdoms beneath the earth and within the forests."
I thought back to the map of Middle Earth that hung in my chambers all the way back in Rivendell. There were so many locations that I had yet to see, kingdoms I had yet to visit, waters I had yet to swim through, mountains I had yet to traverse.
My mind wandered back to our discussion of immortality back in Lothlorien. In the end, I realised Legolas was right. I needed more time to see the world.
I turned to Legolas. "I have not even been to Greenwood. What...what is it like there?"
The elf prince smiled softly.
"You would like it. It is a kingdom of green and gold, where the trees grasp the sky and the roots hug the earth. In winter, the crystalline snow settles upon the leaves, glittering like the mithril. In spring, the buds of flowers and leaves unfurl and blossom to reveal a new generation of lush beauty. In summer, the very air you breath seems to sparkle with sunlight."
I smiled as the elf's blue eyes sparkled like the purest of gems at the centre of the earth as he reminisced. His voice was like silk as he continued.
"However, I love autumn the most."
"Why is that?" I asked, curious and unable to pull my eyes away from his
"Well...it is a second chance to bloom, for the green to glow with new hues as pretty as any petal. It is...the promise of the most beautiful rain, the warmest of snowflakes, golds and fiery-reds, sparkling under the morning frost. It is those days that my breath is taken away."
But the spark in his eye slowly faded.
"But it is different now." His voice fell. "The darkness spread like a plague and foul creatures roamed the woods. Greenwood became Mirkwood."
I shook my head. Evil found its way into anything good. The fall of Maladros was fast, but the darkness took it's time with Greenwood, slowly decaying all that is pure from the inside out.
"Sometimes, I question whether I even wish to return or not." He muttered.
I nodded. I often had the same thought.
Legolas was quiet with thought for a moment.
"What is your home like?" The elf prince thoughtfully asked. "Wherever it is."
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, feeling the air leave my lungs as the once-great kingdom of Maladros flashed before my eyes.
Smooth white towers rose out of the ground, pure and glittering gold spiralling around elegant pillars that stretched up to the ceilings above.
A sad smile passed over my face, and a soft sigh left my lips as I let the good memories resurface.
We were built upon a mountain, and when I stood upon that highest ledge, the entire kingdom stretched out before me, a vast expanse of white and gold tucked into the corner of the mountainside. In the distance, a waterfall tumbles from a crevice, sparkling like a stream of diamonds. It was simply breathtaking.
But with the pleasant memories came the ones I tried so hard to keep buried.
I clenched my jaw.
"It's gone. It's nothing but ruins now."
Legolas' expression fell.
"When...when did it happen, if you don't mind me asking?"
I sighed. "Centuries ago. When I was just a child."
There was a moment of quiet between us as we silently rode side by side.
"I'm sorry." His voice was sincere. "I guess you haven't returned either."
I shook my head, casting my eyes to the ground.
"How could I bear to look upon the destruction that..."
I closed my eyes, letting the words fall from my tongue.
"...that I caused."
The blonde elf's brows furrowed as I let slip one of the key pieces of my past. I didn't know what spurred me to do that, but something about Legolas' calm, almost comforting presence just made me want to tell him.
"Whatever happened, I'm sure it was not your fault."
"I watched as my own father was slain before me, a fate that I brought upon him. How...how is it not my fault?
A mirthless chuckle fell from my lips. "You don't even know what kingdom I'm talking about."
"That's true," he conceded, "but I also know that you were young, and that you shouldn't hold yourself responsible for something I don't think you could not possibly control."
I bit my lip, nodding slowly. I had heard those words countless times before. And I would probably agree, if that was all to my story. But the thing is, that was not the case.
There was something that I neglected to mention. Something that I could not ever forgive myself for. The unforgettable stone-grey eyes that I saw in my nightmares came to mind, along with a single name that sent bitterness and regret running through my veins.
Maeglor.
No one, not even Gandalf or Aragorn knew about him. And I needed it to stay that way.
Hours passed, our quiet conversations drifting over the grassy plains as the light of day slowly began to wane.
I squinted. In the distance, the stoic mountain range seemed to stretch as far as the eyes could see, wisps of vaporous clouds shrouding their ice-capped tops, a veil to what lay above, the roots of the majestic mountain range just at our feet.
As the people around us began to settle down for the night, we dismounted, before finding our own space amongst the rest of the Rohirrim.
Taking out the remaining lembas, I offered a piece to Legolas as we leant against Aldion's warm body.
"Actually, I do believe Éowyn has thrown something together."
He pointed at the golden-haired maiden as she made her way over the lush green hill, iron pot in hand.
She approached, greeting the two of us with a smile.
"I made some stew, would you care for some?" She asked hopefully. "It's hot."
Suddenly, a strange and putrid odour wafted into my nostrils, and I suppressed a grimace as I traced the smell back to whatever was in the pot. Taking a glance inside, I could make out indiscernible chunks of meat floating around in a lumpy pale liquid.
Legolas also looked inside, before his eyes met mine in a silent moment of agreement.
"Thank you Éowyn, but we're alright." The elf prince denied politely.
I sent her a smile. Éowyn returned it and nodded.
"Alright, well...let me know if you change your mind."
I nodded my head. "Will do."
As she began to walk away, I met Legolas' eye with raised eyebrows. He chuckled.
"The lembas sounds like a good idea now."
"Good choice."
I handed a piece to him before settling back into Aldion, who was lying on the floor, his large head between his paws. Legolas stroked Aldion's head with curiosity beneath those cerulean eyes of his. Aldion did not seem to mind the slightest, instead, he began to lean into it.
I couldn't suppress a smile.
Despite the impending doom that was Saruman's forces behind us, I felt at peace as I sat there watching the setting sun. Soft golden rays stretched towards us, filtering from behind the range of mountains. A light breeze swept through the plains, combing through my hair. It was quiet and tranquil, like the surface of an undisturbed lake.
I breathed the air and closed my eyes.
But I knew it would be short lived.